P4T: A Peacebuilding Education Program.

Partnership for Teaching (P4T):
A perfect Peacebuilding Education Program.

By: Mustapha BOUGHOULID
E-MAIL: mustbough@hotmail.com
mustaphaboughoulid@yahoo.com
BLOG: moustaphabough.blogspot.com


In an age of growing violence, exploitation of children, violations of human rights, widening gaps between rich and poor, ethnic conflicts, and chemical, biological, and nuclear warfare threaten the future of the world, comes the need to build a more just and peaceful world .To overcome these problems we have to think deeply of the best way to guide learners in the affirmation of and adherence to a set of human values based on the principles of universal dignity. Actually, Partnership for Teaching (P4T) is a perfect example of peacebuilding education program.

In fact, being a participant in this program has enriched me more than I could ever have imagined. It has given me a wonderful opportunity to share my views, perceptions, and culture with people not only from the United States, but from all over the world. This program offered me, as a teacher and as a Moroccan citizen, another opportunity to improve my professional skills and gain first-hand knowledge of the United States, its culture, its people and explore innovative methods of teaching and promoting cultural diversity with respect to public policy, community and religion (…) in a learning environment. It was an excellent and practical experience I have never had the chance to be involved in.

However, the study of languages is essential in creating true understanding among people of different nations. Partnership for Teaching is designed to enhance this issue and develop teachers’ knowledge of foreign languages, especially the foundation of English language skills to secondary school teachers.

I really gained insight into U.S. culture from the American educational system as well as through my engagement with the community during the six weeks summer semester. I come to better understand their values, their culture, their way of thinking, living (…) and even the rule of law, particularly in the first two weeks spent with the host family, where I was able to experience the
real American life.

Therefore, to what extent can we consider Partnership for Teaching as an example of peacebuilding education program?

Generally speaking, the teachers’ moral obligation is to lead their students to think beyond chauvinism to a level of universalism that embraces the equality and worth of all humans. Teachers are considered the gatekeepers of the curriculum taught in schools and they can enhance student understanding of peacebuilding concepts through education and be prepared to know the possible causes of the negative sentiments of various foreign groups toward the West, particularly the United States. Then, a shift in the approach to understanding and solving cross-cultural hatred has become a priority since the September 11 terrorist attacks. So, we have to move from national citizenship education to the world-centred citizenship education in order to create a global civic culture. And if we want to make progress in this issue, we must empower the teachers and help them give their students the power to see the world for what it is and reflect upon what it might become. Students must be well-informed, rational, humanistic and critical thinkers in an increasingly interconnected world.

No one denies the role of schools in helping students locate themselves in widening circles of care that extend beyond country to all people all over the world.

Hence, there must be training programs to prepare teachers for the new millennium so that they can build a more just and peaceful world through educating future generations and replacing traditional practices with those that nurture attitudes, knowledge and skills.

As far as students are concerned, we can help them, through human interaction and cross-cultural experiential learning, differentiate between crucial concepts such as “us” and “them”, “we” and “ours”, to promote narrow nationalism.

Therefore, Partnership for Teaching is a form of peacebuilding citizenship education program that can pave the way in front of the teachers to develop their students’ positive attitudes and knowledge through different activities that facilitate open discussions and freedom of expression.

Actually, we would like to keep hope of having a peaceful world alive by teaching kids to be future peace makers, building and sustaining peace nationally and internationally.

References:

- Kirkwood-Tucker, T.F. (2003). Global Pedagogy in Teacher Education.
- Kohn, A. (2001). Teaching about September 11: War, terrorism and American classrooms.
- Theory and Research in Social Education, Volume 2, Number 1, winter 2004.

Some advantages and defects of the American educational system

This article talks about some advantages and defects of the educational system in America. It is copied from the newspaper Saudi Gazette and posted on P4T2008 blog by Hicham Sadiki.

It goes without saying, even by those who do not have any admiration for the American culture or heritage, that United States is a powerful country not only militarily but even technologically, scientifically and economically. United States is home to world’s most renowned universities and scientific institutions. The patents obtained by Americans far outnumber the ones obtained by any other nationality. The number of the American Nobel laureates is the largest compared to any other nationality. Internationally recognized research centers, say MIT, Johns Hopkins, Harvard Business School and Mayo clinic, are those scattered in Boston, California and Maryland which every researcher in the world is willing to join. The students’ options in both the public and the higher education are diversely fabulous. One’s possibilities of pursuing his or her education are, simply, endless. Through numerous universities, schools, colleges and institutes, students are given the chance to join one of these graduate or undergraduate schools that suit their interests. The general educational atmosphere in United States is intensely competitive. It just allows only the gifted students to get a scholarship in order to pursue their higher studies free of charge. Others not-so-gifted students work part-time so as to make two ends meet. In order to support themselves, they need to work tirelessly in a company at a specific time of the day and pursue their academic studies at another time. Once granted a scholarship, the student has no choice but to excel in his or her studies. Otherwise, he or she may be excluded from the high competitive job opportunities that require, beside personal and leadership skills, highly academic qualifications from notable universities. Unlike other educational systems in the world, the American educational system is locally determined. The federal government does not have any control over, for example, how teachers are recruited, what textbooks to be taught and how well the school day is run. Even local authorities do not have that upper hand on the educational system. Each of the 50 states has its own Education Department that is responsible for outlining general guidelines. According to these guidelines, schools are set free to define educational goals in line with these guidelines and in conformity with the aspirations of the school community. Such a diverse and dynamic system is, in my opinion, expected to produce sound results. It allows schools to compete so as to attain higher levels of achievements which, thereafter, would be noticed by public. Once noticed, great funds would pour into the school and would be a great motivation for the school staff. However, there is the question of equality. If two average American students get mediocre marks in their high school exams, and if one of them is from an affluent family, and the other from an impoverished one, then the rich student is guaranteed access to a university. I raised the question of equality to a group of teachers who vigorously defend such inequality by saying that if all university doors are wide open for all students, “nothing intelligent would come out from our schools and universities.”There are several “inherent” problems concerning education in the United States. The standard level of American school students, compared to that of their Korean or Japanese peers, is declining. In an article published two years again, Patrick Welsh, of the USA Today, lamented the students’ declining “self-discipline” and the lack of effort exerted by Americans in pursuing their studies. He rightly pointed out that neither funding nor school buildings are solely blamed for such deterioration. Despite the scandalous revelations weeks ago concerning the list of fake certificates obtained by numerous overseas students, United States is still an attractive place for many foreign students who are stunned by the versatile and dynamic nature of American universities and research centers. Their tenacity to get admitted there is always justified: the best universities, the best labs and the best teaching staff, just to name a few. The lessons that we can draw from the American model of education are numerous. Our educational system, both public and higher, is highly centralized. It is largely funded from the government annual budget. So if you want to spend money on an ambitious development project, you need to go through numerous stifling bureaucratic channels. If, on the other hand, a school headmaster or a college dean decides to hire or fire a particular person, he or she cannot do that because employment is hierarchically determined. This has been a hint at one of the most advanced and attractive education systems in the world. Regardless of the fact that it has got many defects, the high quality of education in American schools and universities is expected to remain unchallenged, at least in the foreseeable future.

Mail to: alasmary2@hotmail.com.

Student-Centered Learning

Student-Centered Learning

OVERVIEW

By: Hicham Sadiki

When you google the term Student-Centered Learning, you find that it is widely used in the teaching and learning literature. Still, many terms may refer to the same meaning, such as Self-Directed Learning, Flexible Learning and Experiential learning. So, what is Student-Centered Learning?

We understand from the literature concerning Student-Centered Teaching (SCT) that in this approach teachers focus their planning, teaching and assessment around the needs and abilities of students. The main idea behind this approach is that learning is most meaningful when topics are relevant to the students’ lives, needs and interests. Unlike Teacher-Centered Teaching (TST), in SCT the teacher is not the only source of information. The teacher works as a monitor and a facilitator. Teachers cannot simply lecture and let students take a passive role. On the opposite, they have to design activities that let their students take initiative and discover meaningful information for their own lives. In SCT, the teacher helps students to discover their own learning styles, to understand their motivation and to acquire effective study skills which will be useful throughout their lives. For this approach to be practiced, teachers help their students set achievable goals, encourage them to assess themselves as well as their peers, help them to work in groups and, more importantly, to ascertain that students know how to manipulate and make good use of all the accessible resources for learning.

The main principles of SCT are:
Ø The learner is fully responsible for his/her learning.
Ø The teacher becomes a facilitator
Ø Errors are seen as a constructive part of the teaching/learning process.

P4T Teachers Training Program. What a wonderful experience!

P4T2008 Teachers Training Program.
What a wonderful experience!
By: Hicham Sadiki
Email: sadhicham@yahoo.com
Blog: sadhicham.blogspot.com

The Partnership for Teaching (P4T) program is a teachers training program which was incepted in 2004 at the University of Delaware, funded by the US Department of State – Bureau of Cultural and Educational Affairs, and administered by the University of Delaware – English Language Institute (ELI). The aim of this program is to support the efforts of the ministries of Education in Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Jordan to enhance and strengthen the English Language capacity in these countries and to support the development and implementation of an English as a Foreign Language curriculum that emphasizes new teaching methods and delivery mechanism at the Junior High School level. Since 2004, The Moroccan Ministry of National Education announces every year the selection for P4T program. In 2008, nearly all Moroccan teachers of EFL (about 2000 teachers) sent their applications. A pre-selection was launched and twenty six (26) teachers were called for an interview on April 23 in Rabat. The final selection was made by a jury which consisted of Mr. Dawoud Casewit (MACECE Executive Secretary), Mr. Mohamed Chrayah (MACECE Deputy Executive Secretary), Mr. Mitchell Cohn (Cultural affairs officer, the American Embassy) and Mr. Ali Slitine Alaoui (Training Projects Supervisor, Ministry of National Education). Finally, only eight teachers were retained to participate in the pre-departure orientation session. This session took place at MACECE and was animated by three teachers who took part in P4T2007. During this meeting, we discussed the program’s overall objectives in detail, we shared many ideas about the training program and we were given some useful tips and information which helped us prepare for our trip and during our stay in America.

On the academic level, we were exposed to the latest innovations concerning methodologies of teaching EFL. Adept teachers introduced us to interesting teaching techniques which we can use in our classrooms to develop our students’ communicative competence and which are especially useful in improving their four skills. To my mind, all the workshops I attended were interesting, but the workshop conducted by Dr. Scott Stevens and in which he introduced the use of PUPPETS to teach English as a Second / Foreign Language was the most benevolent and beneficial. I always have students who are afraid to speak or act in front of the class, but thanks to this technique they will enthusiastically emote in the characters of the puppets and will certainly forget to be self conscious. I am impatiently waiting to meet my students and use this technique with them. They will definitely enjoy using the puppets with their classmates.

The class observations and the two days we spent in Dover with a number of American teachers of English as a Second Language allowed me to liken teaching in America to teaching in Morocco. All Moroccan teachers would agree with me when I say that the methodologies and approaches our American colleagues adopt in their classrooms are the same as those practiced by most Moroccan teachers. This is not an overstatement, believe me.

The program also allowed me to learn how to overcome fear of Public Speaking. All the story telling and the warm-ups we practiced were a great opportunity to acquire how to get my attention off myself, how to build self-confidence and how to train myself before facing an audience.

Designing and conducting a workshop is another worthful thing that I learned. It’s true that I conducted many workshops before, but the program was an opportunity to find out about the four phases of the process of designing and conducting an effective and successful workshop: planning, preparation, implementation and follow up.

On the cultural side, this training program enabled me to attain a better understanding of the American Culture. It gave me the chance to get involved in many activities and be exposed to different events and people over the six weeks which has really led to an increase in my knowledge and skill.

Living with a host family in America for two weeks truly authenticated my experience. I, like all the other participants, was received warmly by my host family. Through this homestay, I was given the opportunity to know more about the American way of life. I was able to realize what living in America might be like. The experience has really destroyed all the stereotypes about the American daily life that I previously held. In addition, it gave me the opportunity to experience first-hand the real similarities and differences between American and Moroccan lifestyles. Moreover, the homestay helped me to improve my English and to learn the American accent.

The trips to Philadelphia, New York, Washington and Rehoboth Beach were very pleasant and enjoyable. They were tremendous opportunities for fun and discovery. Our visits to these cities gave us a better understanding of the people living there. We discovered the similarities they have with us as well as their differences from us. The journeys explained to me why America is referred to as a “pot of stew”.

The excursion to the Amish community allowed me to know about some Americans who are different from most Americans. The Amish or the “Plain People” have long preferred crafting and farming as a way of life. They feel their life style and their families can best be maintained in a rural environment. In the most developed country in terms of technology, the Amish do permit the use of tractors in their fields. Instead, they still use horses and mules. It’s really implausible.

The People to People dinner was very exciting. The Moroccan and Jordanian teachers had the pleasure to have dinner with members of PTPDE. Some Koreans also were there. It was a very enriching meeting as it gave me the chance to know, chat and exchange ideas and experiences directly with people from different countries and diverse cultures. In addition, we were given valuable books that can enhance our students’ learning and improve their English.

Going to the Church with my host family was another extraordinarily good experience. I never imagined myself in the building where Christians gather for religious purposes. It allowed me to know how they worship. I was amazingly surprised when I found a group of musicians playing music and singing. In fact, I had a particular image of what a church is, but it turned out that it is not what I imagined. People there are very nice. They welcomed us warmly and delightfully. It was another event which proved to me that the Americans are very courteous and gracious.

On the human level, it’s no wonder that the P4T Teachers Training Program was beneficial. It was an opportunity to break out of my shell, to discover a lot about myself and to enjoy life like never before. In addition, it allowed me to make new friends from different parts of the globe, from Jordan, Egypt, America, Haiti, Mexico, etc… and also from my country, Morocco. Moreover, it helped me recharge my batteries and enabled me to handle better the stress I experienced at work. After these six weeks in America, I really feel energized and vigorously active.

The P4T Teachers Training Program is not over. It’s true we have left the University of Delaware and we are now in our countries, but we should always remember that there is something called P4T yahoo group which we have to manipulate and exploit to the greatest possible extent. It will undoubtedly help us to exchange our ideas, deepen our knowledge and consequently better our classroom performances. Furthermore, we all know that the main focus of the P4T Teachers Training Program is on its multiplier effect. Therefore, we are considered pioneers and we are expected to transfer our knowledge, our experiences and all what we have learned to our colleagues in Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.

In the end, I would like to thank all my dear colleagues from Morocco, Jordan and Egypt for the love, kindness and charity they showed to each other. My heartfelt thanks to the teachers and the program coordinators who treated us with consideration and respect, provided us with all types of help and support and answered all our questions. I also want to give my sincerest thanks to the program manager Ms. BAERBEL SCHUMACHER for her loyalty and all the time and energy she devoted to this program to make it a success.
I am very grateful to all of you for the wonderful time you gave to me.

A visit to Amish Family

A Visit to an Amish Community
Emad Arnous,
After hearing about the Amish lifestyle in the class in the university of Delaware, I had the opportunity to visit an Amish community in Pennsylvania.
Wow! I was very impressed when I first visited an Amish family. They live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I was visiting the families with my colleagues from Jordan and Morocco.
"We visited one of the biggest Amish communities in the Lancaster area. There were huge farms with houses and lots of land. I learned they didn't have any electricity in their houses."
I was very glad to know and see the Amish life style in their farms, and also I had seen the cows, the deer, the chicken. I wanted to see how they live together and find out if it is an easy life or not.
While we were buying bread, cheese, honey, yoghurt, and other handmade gifts, I noticed that the woman selling the bread was wearing interesting clothes. I had never seen anybody wearing that kind of clothes in real life. She was wearing a blue-colored, old-fashioned dress which didn't have any buttons, and there were many straight pins on the back of her dress to hold it together, with a very lovely hat. I hoped I would see more how the Amish live.
By going to another farm, we visited one of the biggest Amish communities in the Lancaster area. There were huge farms with houses and lots of land. I learned they didn't have any electricity in their houses. They don't use modern things, so you see no electric wires around the houses.

While we were there, I saw a man in his carriage of two horses. Again I noticed their clothing because all of them were wearing the kind of very lovely clothing , I didn't try to talk with them because I thought they might not want me to talk to them. In the community,
"The life style of the Amish might be simple and seem to be inconvenient; however, I feel they are really living in a way that respects nature, unlike us."
I saw children who were playing around a horse. Although they didn't play with any of the usual commercial toys which children usually like to play with, these children looked very lively and happy.
The life style of the Amish might be simple and seem to be inconvenient; however, I feel they are really living in a way that respects nature, unlike us. We tend to separate nature and use power to control it. It is very difficult for us who are accustomed to living comfortably with modern conveniences. We use an air conditioner when it is hot. When we want to contact someone, we use the telephone. When we want to write something, we can use computers.

I think we need to notice how we are a part of nature. I believe the Amish people have recognized this. All the family members work hard, all of them cooperate for their land, It might be impossible for me to live in the Amish community, but maybe it would be good to live with fewer modern conveniences.

Storytelling/ storymaking

One of my favourite workshops was storytelling/storymaking by Debra Darrell. It was rich with various interesting activities. Even we' the participants' as adults enjoyed them a lot.

The workshop tackled the benefits of storytelling and the skills practiced. It provides students with opportunities to listen to language in context, lets them have an experience with the powerful language of personnal communication. It also sparks curiosity and engages the hearts and minds of the students, etc...

Concerning the skills practiced, students learn new vocabulary, language form and grammar. It gives them fluency practice, helps to listen and think critically and provides for all aspects of oral intelligibility...

The workshop dTealt also with how to incorperate stories in the classroom. A teacher may opt for a storytelling unit, initiate A Story A Day, have a weekly storytelling time or start a storytelling club.

The workshop included some storytelling game such as: Apple Tree ( for all levels). It focuses on fluency, spontaneity, listening, pronountiation of targeted structures, targeted grammar practice and build group unity. Concerning the tips for learning and telling a story: select, concentrate, vocalize, memorize key bits, visualize, analize...

The last part of the workshop was devoted to to personal storytelling. Any person can be a storyteller. a teacher may make use of students' personal experiences and ask them to talk about events that took place in their lives. however, the teacher should use prompts to hook a story.